Force & Fury - English version
by Emilie-la-Vraie
Summary: Sometimes in our future - after the nuclear apocalypse, the First Order carried a reign of terror over the desert and the submissive villages. Yet Leia Organa, Leader of the Resistance, leads the combats to overthrow the Starkiller stronghold and bring water and peace back to the people. She's helped by Rey, the scavenger who has a peculiar telepathic hability. Reylo incoming.
1. Chapter 1 : Preamble

Rey had waited for dark to get on the road.

Anyone else would have considered it madness. Raiders were known to attack lost or reckless travelers who wandered off the safe paths. Hostile gangs in vehicles bristling with rusty blades, stinking of blood, gasoline, and cheap liquor became merciless under the cover of night. They liked to pick off the slow vehicles at the tail ends of caravans, those with engines struggling against steep inclines or that bogged down in the sand. Before their prey could scream for help, the night raiders would slit their throats, and steal everything they had. Everything was fair game: food, gas, women, children, slaves for their workforce. Whatever could be consumed would be. Whatever could be used would could be sold would be, be it human slaves or unneeded equipment.

Vehicles that were too slow or inadequate to make efficient war machines would be stripped to their bones by sunrise. At dawn, the only remnants of the vehicle and its passengers would be a skeletal metallic structure, bloodstains and signs of struggle in the sand. By noon, the wind would have erased them and by the following night, the abandoned structure would already seem part of the desolate landscape.

No woman on her own would consider leaving the security of her fortified village.

Yet Rey didn't fear the night.

She found the velvet of the darkness a soothing touch. At night, all skin was black. At night, the ochres, reds, browns and tawny shades that burned her eyes during the day turned to indigos, blues, purples and crimsons.

The campfires of distant villages were landmarks on the vast plains, like stars fallen from the heavens, twinkling on the desert sands. But Rey didn't need landmarks to find her way. She could see perfectly even in the deepest darkness.

She had always been like this. Other people, normal people, feared the night because they knew they were easy prey, stumbling blindly in the dark, but not Rey. Quite the opposite, in fact. There was less movement at night and barely a sound to be heard. In those moments the world was all hers, and in this endless landscape, she could spot danger from miles away.

She shivered and tightened her shabby cowl around her shoulders. Temperatures were quickly dropping as the sun set. She took a quick inventory of her motorbike. She had a gallon jug of water, not to mention the full canteen on her belt. The detour through Tuanul had been fruitful. Villages under Starkiller Citadel's control were strictly forbidden to dig their own wells. Anyone caught operating a well was condemned to death; an efficient way to keep control over the people. Rumor was that the Citadel's stronghold was built over a dammed lake. Millions of gallons of fresh water, dispensed drop by drop to ambassadors who came to pay their taxes. But Rey had found out that the small village of Tuanul was concealing a well under a hut of corrugated sheet metal. She sensed the water while driving by the village. It was a difficult feeling to describe. A shiver. A dryness in her mouth, a tickle in her skull that she only felt when she was close to living beings. It was an unusual gift.

After the nuclear apocalypse, many had developed tumors, deformities, allergies, and incurable diseases. As for Rey, though, she had been born with her powers. She had the keen senses of a bird of prey and could feel living creatures from nearly a hundred feet away. And where there was a spring, even underground, there was life. Algae, bacteria, amphibians, small mammals, sprouts of vegetation… What she felt in her bones passing by Tuanul wasn't the presence of the men, women, and children living their lives in their slum, but the water.

She had kept Lor San Tekka's secret; it was always worthwhile to have allies.

Niima was about a two hour drive away. She would be there before midnight. Her jug had been filled in Tuanul, a costly one-hour detour, but without which she would have run out of water. Her gas tank was half full, hopefully enough to get her back to the village. She was towing a small wagon behind her bike, loaded with equipment she had scavenged from the shipwreck. Radar equipment, navigational tools, acoustic baffles that shouldn't be hard to fix…

Unkar Plutt would be happy. She had gone scouting for wrecks to scavenge, and that gigantic ship grounded in the middle of the desert had turned out to be a real treasure trove.

"I doubt we'll find gas, though."

She gasped at the sound of her own voice. She had said that out loud.

Gas, certainly not, it would all have been pumped out or leaked through a hole in the hull long ago. But there would be enough iron, pulleys, and cables to fill a truck. She would tell Unkar to set up an expedition.

Meanwhile, it was time to get back.

She drank a sip of water from her canteen and had just hopped on her bike when a sharp pain spiked into her temples.

Someone was here. Close.

She repressed her instinct to react. They were coming up behind her, expecting to take her by surprise. But they underestimated her. She slowly unbuckled her weapon on her left hip, and reached with her right hand to grab her staff, lashed to the side of the motorbike. She frowned. The muffled pounding wasn't human; it was an animal.

She turned sharply, spinning her staff.

The dog jumped backwards with a startled yelp. He fell backwards and seemed to struggle for balance as the sand slid under his paws.

Rey couldn't resist laughing.

He had once been a rather good looking dog, with reddish fur, pointy ears, and a curved tail that looped up to his back. The fur down his sides was short and dark as if it had burned. Patches of white skin were visible between tufts of scattered orange hair. A piece of metal embedded in his right paw was making him limp.

Rey hopped off her vehicle and squatted down to face him. She clicked her tongue.

"Hey. Come… come closer!"

She spoke in a soft voice, pulling a piece of dry meat out of her pouch and holding it out to the dog. He whined but didn't come any closer.

Rey took a few steps towards him.

"Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you."

The dog stretched out his neck, his nostrils quivering at the smell of the meat. With a clap of his jaw, he snatched the treat and swallowed it greedily.

Rey smiled.

"If you let me come closer, I'll take care of that."

With very slow gestures, she closed the space between them and softly petted the dog. His back was orange, his stomach white. One of his ears was torn.

 _As have all inhabitants of this damned desert, he must have seen battle_ , thought Rey.

She gave the dog another piece of meat to distract him, and while he was chewing on it, she swiftly pulled the iron splinter out of his paw.

The dog yelped loudly and jumped backwards, but came right back to her.

Rey tenderly petted his head.

"You're welcome. Go on now, I have to leave. It was nice meeting you."

She stood up and walked to her bike sitting a few steps away. The dog followed her.

Rey gave him an impatient wave.

"Shoo! Go on! Go!"

She hopped on the vehicle, tied her staff back in its place, and revved the engine. The dog let out a loud whine that sounded like a plea. When Rey's bike started moving, he followed close behind.

Rey stopped and put her foot down to look back at him.

"Go away. If you come to Niima, Unkar is going to roast you for breakfast."

The dog, sitting down on the sand tilted his head at her and whined again.

Rey shrugged.

"It's your funeral. You won't be able to keep up anyway."

She gave a quick twist to the throttle, spraying sand behind her bike as she took off. The dog ran after her. Rey sped up, keeping an eye on him over her shoulder. She was easily outrunning him, especially since he was still limping. His paw needed to be cleaned and bandaged.

"Fuck."

She stopped sharply.

"All right, come on up."

She gave a tilt of her chin, inviting the dog to hop on the wagon. He jumped on the vehicle as if he was used to doing so, and that comforted Rey in the idea that this dog was used to humans, and - hopefully - to motorcycles. He wasn't afraid of her, or her engine.

She sighed as she adjusted her goggles on her face, pulled her scarf up over her mouth and nose, and fired up her engine.

This animal was only get her into trouble, she didn't need her special abilities to sense that.


	2. Chapter 2 - Niima

Kylo Ren stopped his vehicle well away from the village. His car had used to be a convertible, and he appreciated its sharp outline, similar to his own. It was painted black, equipped with four-wheel drive, desert tires, bull bars, and rifles, stationary in the front and mobile in the back. His car was easily outweighed by any truck, or even a close-combat vehicle, but it was fast and swift, and between his hands, it was deadly.

Two war troopers, pawns of the First Order's chessboard, pulled their bikes up alongside the black car. Kylo Ren read the fear in their eyes. It was dark out; they were concerned about an ambush. How pathetic. Kylo Ren gave a slight wave with his gloved hand. His voice modified by his helmet's modulator, he ordered, "Wait here."

"Yes, m-my Lord," stuttered the first one, loading his sawn-off shotgun.

Beneath his mask, Kylo Ren rolled his eyes. He raised his hood over his helmet, and clenched his fist on the handle of his weapon. Then he struck out into the night, towards Tuanul's lights.

The buzz at the base of his skull became more pronounced as he drew closer to the village. There was not just human life in this place; there was water. Shutting his eyes, Kylo Ren managed to muffle the feeling. The village was quiet. No one was expecting an attack, especially not from a lone raider in the middle of the night.

He strode further into the village. A man had fallen asleep next to a fire pit, leaning against a rusty staff, his only weapon.

With one swift move, Kylo Ren grabbed the man's throat. He gasped in surprise, but no sound passed his lips. He looked at his attacker with terror; he knew he was already dead. Kylo Ren's gloved hand tightened around his throat, and the peasant struggled weakly, breathless, his feet dragging across the ground.

"Where is Lor San Tekka?" Ren asked, slightly tilting his head.

A gurgling sound escaped the man's lips, and Ren eased his grip.

"Where is he?"

"The hut - the blue hut." That was all the man managed to answer before collapsing on the ground as Ren released him.

Kylo looked at the man on the ground. He was coughing and spitting, eyes ready to pop out of his skull, legs shaking.

"Sound the alarm. Gather the whole village. I want every man, woman, and child here in three minutes. Those who try to hide shall feel my wrath."

The dark lord spun around, sending up a spray of sand onto the crumpled man who burst into a coughing fit. As he walked towards the blue hut, he kept an eye on the man to make sure his orders where followed. The peasant stood up, staggered a little, and then started banging his staff against a metal tool, whose noise immediately launched a panic among the villagers. Most of them still half asleep, they crawled out of their miserable huts, trailers and wrecked cabins in a scramble.

The sudden bustle buzzed deep inside Kylo's skull, similar to a swarm of bees. Everything turned into vibrations. But Kylo Ren had been well taught by his Lord and Master, and he knew how to decode the information that would have transmitted as a continuous hum of unintelligible noise to anyone else. Between the buzzing, he could sense a quiet man waiting behind the blue plastic tarp of a hut.

Kylo Ren threw it open.

Lor San Tekka was standing there, straight and tall in spite of his old age. He stared defiantly at the dark lord.

"Look how old you've become," Kylo said matter-of-factly, his calm tone contrasting with the village's agitation.

The old man, with striking blue eyes and a face marked with wrinkles, didn't seem scared at all. His gaze was pitying.

"Something far worse has happened to you."

"You know what I've come for."

"I know where you come from. Before you called yourself Kylo Ren."

Kylo Ren's fist clenched on his weapon's handle. With a swift move of his wrist, he ignited the blade. It was a massive weapon, fueled by an engine that scented the air with the smell of gasoline, and radiated scorching heat. Lor San Tekka backed away. Kylo Ren took a step towards him.

"The Resistance. You provide them water, shelter, and defy the First Order. Where is the pilot?"

Lor San Tekka raised his chin.

"The First Order rose from evil. You did not. You cannot deny the truth that is your family."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"You're so right. But it doesn't matter. The pilot was hiding here; his dog has been observed wandering around the village. Where is he?"

"I won't tell you. You'll have to kill me."

Kylo Ren's voice, amplified by his mask, stroke with the fire saber [did you mean to change the name from lightsaber to fire saber?].

"So be it."

The old man's eyes glazed as he collapsed on the ground. His clothes caught fire. Mindless of the burning flames, Kylo Ren grabbed the old man by the scruff of his neck and dragged his body out of the hut.

Screams and whimpers arose when the gathered villagers recognized the burned corpse of their leader.

Kylo Ren gave a strong kick to a brazier, spreading red coals across the sand. Everybody gasped.

"This is the fate of anyone who commits treason towards the First Order; for anyone who supports the Resistance. The Baron Lor San Tekka is hereby stripped of his title, and – effective immediately - this village in seized by the Order. Troops of the Order will come to take possession of the well tomorrow."

Inside his skull, pulses signaled the locations of the fugitives. One was hiding, alone, behind some rocks. A pair with a child was running east. Three adults, hoping to escape him, were walking north.

A lone man, behind him.

Kylo Ren swung and his blade, burning hot, hissed through the air. The man behind him screamed in pain and fell to his knees, dropping his machete to hold his side. Blood stained the sand around him.

"Those who disobey will be executed. Those trying to resist will be executed. Those who stand against me will be executed. Surrender to the First Order, or die."

Frightened murmurs rose from the small crowd.

Kylo Ren turned on his heel, dragging the corpse in his wake. The sickening smell of burned flesh would linger for some time.

Once back to his vehicle, he instructed the War Troopers to keep watch over the village for the rest of the night, and to shoot those who tried to run. He didn't worry that the troopers would be outnumbered and killed: their possible loss would ultimately be insignificant to the First Order's huge numbers, but he doubted any in the village would risk the consequences. These miserable peasants knew better.

As for the handful of them who had run away… they were staggering, on foot, in the darkness. Darkness was nothing to him, who could see through it as if it was broad daylight. An unusual ability, one that also came with sharp hearing and a peculiar buzz at the base of his skull when he sensed a presence. Hunting down the missing villagers would be at worst a minor inconvenience. It was the pilot, Poe Dameron that he wanted. His presence, and that of the orange dog which followed him everywhere, were now invisible to Kylo Ren. That man could lead him to Leia Organa, the figurehead of the Resistance.

Just the thought of her filled Kylo with hate. He would find the dog, and that god forsaken pilot along with him, and then at last, his mother.

Kylo Ren got into his car and fired up the engine. They couldn't escape from him.

* * *

The first thing Rey noticed when she woke up was that the dog was gone. She sat up, suddenly worried that Unkar might have kidnapped him. But a familiar headache reassured her; the dog wasn't far. She stretched her sore arms. The dog was sleeping, curled up on the opposite side of the knocked over storage tank Rey had converted into her home. She had drilled holes into the rusty metal of the hull, and the morning light shining through them drew a delicate pattern on the opposite wall. Rey crawled to the hatchway, previously a circular lid meant to fill the tank with…well, whatever this tank was once filled with. A homemade handle now allowed Rey to operate it from the inside.

She crawled out and carefully checked her surroundings. Everything was quiet. Her bike was secured in its rightful place. The wagon was still loaded with yesterday's stock.

Nobody had stolen from her, but she didn't really need to verify that; if anyone had been close to her place, she would have sensed it. She filled a bowl with water and it didn't take long before the dog crawled out of the tank for a drink. Rey scratched between his ears.

"What shall we name you? Fluffy? Or how about a name to freak out your enemies? Evil Lord of Death?"

She laughed. Evil Lord of Death was wagging his tail and licking her face. He was far from being a monstrous beast.

Rey swallowed a portion of tasteless protein, and offered the other half to the dog. She didn't want to know what the portions were made of. Then she unlocked the chain that secured her bike, checked that the wagon was still well attached, and told the dog to hop on.

"Let's go, get in. And stay still."

She had considered keeping him inside until her return, but she knew animals had to get out and she didn't feel like locking him up. Not to mention she was even more worried to leave him outside her hideout; he could ran away, or be captured and roasted on the spot. The best - or the least worse - option was to keep an eye on him at all times.

Rey lived outside of Niima. Human presence gave her terrible headaches and caused an unbearable ringing in her ears. She could only find peace and quiet away from everything, and everyone. And she was certainly not going to keep that dog much longer. She had to find a solution: tomorrow, she'd bring him back to Lor San Tekka. Somewhere, a lost traveller must be looking for their dog, and if no one was, then he would be happier in the village anyway…and she would feel better knowing him far away from Unkar Plutt's henchmen.

Dawn broke over Niima, but the village was still asleep when Rey's motorbike drew near its walls. The person on guard duty was a woman with scars on her arms and her face hidden under a patched up mask. She aimed at Rey from her improvised turret. Rey removed her cowl and goggles, and the woman waved her in. Rey drove slowly to the village's main building, the only concrete structure in an entanglement of barrels, sheet metal, and plastic tarps.

A very fat man seemed busy among an accumulation of various items. He was so large and his skin was so oily, he looked like some kind of monstrous fish that had escaped from the sea. A tumor deformed his neck and his goiter bounced like jelly when he turned around.

"Rey. How did your trip go?"

"I found the shipwreck, Unkar. I brought you back a sample."

She gave a tilt of her chin towards the wagon. Unkar leaned over his counter and froze when he saw the dog. Rey noticed it, but didn't react, waiting for what would happen next. Unkar Plutt stepped back behind the counter.

"What you've brought me today is worth...Hmm…Two portions for the whole."

Rey choked. "They're worth at least two portions each!"

"What about the dog, hmm?"

Rey stepped back and frowned. "What about him?"

"I'll pay for him. Sixty portions."

And matching his words with action, Unkar laid cases of portions on the counter…along with jugs of water that made Rey's throat go dry.

But she tangled her fingers in the dog's fur, and shook her head.

"The dog is not for sale. Let's talk about the shipwreck."

Unkar acted busy and turned his back on Rey, but she came closer to the counter and raised her voice to be heard over the noise he was making.

"There is a stranded ship, one day away from here. No more gas in the bunkers, and unfortunately everything available for scavenging has already been taken, but with the proper tools there's still a lot to salvage. Cables, too."

Unkar came closer to her. He was wearing some sort of greasy overalls over his bare skin and Rey grimaced with disgust. She struggled to stay still when he leaned towards her and blew his rotten breath in her face.

"Then you'll be leading the journey tomorrow, two hours before dawn. I'll pick a team to go with you."

"I want ten portions per piece we'll bring back from there. Otherwise I'm not going."

Unkar seemed startled for a moment then burst out laughing, and gave her a nasty look as he came even closer.

"You'll get twelve portions for the whole trip, not one more. And if you refuse the deal, I'll have your toes ripped off one by one with this little tool, until you tell me where the ship lays. Understood?"

In his right hand, he waved a rusty pair of pliers.

Rey bit her tongue. "Fine."

Unkar put the pliers away.

"You forget who you are, kid. And who you belong to. Be careful, or you'll get yourself in trouble."

Rey turned away, her cheeks burning. She belonged to Plutt, she was well aware of that. She even had a mark on the calf as proof. Ever since she was a little girl, she had had to earn her food and water by exchanging supplies she scavenged here and there. Later, she found out about her ability; she could see in the dark, she sensed people, she could smell wells. She had become a scout after that, always moving ahead to detect ambushes. She had seen combat, she had been beaten hard, yet she was still here. In Niima, no one would have harmed her; they all knew how precious she was to the Baron Plutt. Yet he owned the right of life and death over her. If he decided to break her bones - or snip off her toes - no one would try to stop him.

Rey walked away and wiped a burning hot tear from her cheek. She unloaded her wagon, careful not to cut her fingers on the metal sheets. Then she carried it all, swearing and sweating, as Unkar looked on without making a move to help. When the equipment was all piled up under Unkar's roof, he laid out the agreed portions for the delivery on the counter. Rey grabbed them without checking the quantity and shoved them into her pouch.

She climbed on her motorbike without looking back at Unkar, and the dog hopped into the empty wagon. She didn't see Unkar stare at the dog with greedy eyes. She didn't see him wave to two of his henchmen. She didn't see them nod and part to circle her. Yet as she passed the village's ramparts, she knew she was being followed, and that there were now four of them. She couldn't see or hear them, but she sensed their presence, two from the north and two from the south, approaching fast. She sped up, seeking a boulder, a shelter, anything. But this part of the desert was only sand dunes, stretching as far as the eye could see. The mountains were too far away; in a moment, they would be on her.

Two quads suddenly jumped over the top of nearby dunes, spraying sand with a thunderous roar. Rey braked hard and turned her bike into a skid that almost upset the wagon. The dog landed on the floor but immediately scrambled to his feet, shaking himself to get rid of the sand. Jumping to the ground, the young girl grabbed her staff and held it in a defensive posture. The dog bared his fangs, fur rising along his neck.

"Fluffy Evil Lord of Death, now is the time to show me what you can do," Rey hissed from between clenched teeth. Then she charged.

The fight was swift, messy, and brutal. There were four of them, two men and two women. One of the women had a mechanical arm that she flung around violently. The other hid her face behind a mask of leather and iron spikes, gripping a machete in each hand. Rey dodged a baton strike from one of the men, a 250-pound thug, and whacked at his knees with all her strength until he fell. Then she clubbed the back of his neck with her staff, and the man collapsed with a loud noise.

Rey was breathless, her senses sharp. The headache that plagued her every day became her strongest asset. She knew where her opponents stood without actually seeing them; she could feel their movements without having to look.

Meanwhile, the dog was barking loudly but he didn't attack. If she had been in the mood for humor, Rey would have said something sarcastic about this orange animal that brought her nothing but trouble, but a blade hissed by her ear and she felt the painful bite of metal on her shoulder.

She swung her staff instinctively and felt it hit the soft flesh of the woman behind her, who screamed. Rey turned around and hit her over the head as hard as she could. There was a horrible crack. The body collapsed on the ground and blood stained the sand in a growing puddle. Rey picked up the machete and faced the two remaining thugs. One of them was struggling to contain the dog who was fighting desperately inside a net. The other, the woman with the mechanical arm, was out of breath. She stepped back and Rey realized that things were not going the way they had planned. She managed to catch her breath to speak.

"You shouldn't attack me. I belong to Unkar Plutt. He'll have you dismembered when he'll find out you tried to kill me."

The woman's chest rose as she started to laugh.

"You think Unkar is your protector, huh? He's the one who sent us, you fool."

Rey gasped, stunned. Unkar? But he kept saying he needed her and her ability, and she knew how worthy she was to him. What could explain such a change of mind?

She clenched her fists on her weapons. "Did Unkar warn you I was going to kill you?"

The woman looked at her partner, busy kicking the dog in the net. Rey felt she was on the right track. She continued. "Of course not. He told you it would be easy. Release the dog and leave now."

As she spoke, she kicked the corpse behind her with her heel. The soft flesh quivered.

Suddenly, the man screamed. The dog had bitten his calf to the bone. Instinctively, he dropped the net and the animal ran free, his muzzle red with blood. He had ripped a piece of flesh off the man's leg.

"Fuck!" the man yelled. "I'm out of here."

The woman didn't seem so sure. Her head swiveled between the man, Rey, and the growling dog. The man hopped on his quad and started the engine without a second look. Fluffy-Evil-Lord-of-Death barked after him.

Only then did the henchwoman swear between her clenched teeth, and start backing up to the other quad. She pointed her finger at Rey.

"You won't get away with this."

"I'm sure," Rey said. "Come back anytime."

A moment later, the woman was out of sight.

As the adrenaline left her veins, Rey's leg failed her. She fell onto the ground on her knees at first, and then let herself slide onto her the back, splaying her arms. She was sweating and her throat burned.

Unkar had sent his henchmen after her. They must have been mercenaries; no one in Niima would have agreed to such a job…and she actually had never seen them before. The dog came to lick her face and she rose onto her elbows.

"They were after you, Fluffy Evil Lord of Death. I wonder what's so special about you?"

As an answer, Fluffy happily wagged his tail. Rey stood up and shook off the sand. She searched the two bodies for any useful items, then came back to her bike, legs shaking. She was exhausted.

She adjusted her goggles and gazed at the empty horizon.

 _Unkar owes me an explanation,_ she thought.


	3. Chapter 3 - Starkiller

There was neither an incident nor an attack during the journey. Unkar had picked a team of four scavengers, who joined Rey as planned a couple of hours before dawn. They all came from Niima and Rey knew them well. The truck driver was Riley, a blond woman with a side of her head shaved. Next to her sat Jared, carrying an automatic rifle. His skin was a deep shade of black and his sight flawless. The roof of the truck was the position of Sun, a skinny girl with dark skin, fearing neither sand nor sunburn, operating a heavy machine gun. The fourth member of the expedition, a swift man called Foster, followed the truck on his motorbike. As for Rey, she drove far ahead, carrying Fluffy-Evil-Lord-Of-Death in the empty wagon. Rey remained woke, expecting a treason any moment. Was Sun going to aim and execute her from her position? Would Riley and Jared try to crush her little bike under their truck's massive wheels? Was another team of henchmen going to pop from behind boulders and ambush them? What was Unkar's plan of action this time?

The previous day, after Unkar's attack, Rey made it home without new trouble, and everything was quiet for the rest of the day. But she couldn't keep calm : why did Unkar put a reward on her head? She was aware of two new elements that could have led him to this sudden interest : the wreckage, and the dog. The location of the wreckage couldn't justify killing her, quite the contrary actually ; it would benefit him much more if she stayed alive. This meant he was after the dog.

It was a beautiful dog and he'd make quite a barbecue, but that wasn't enough yet to hire four murderers. As far as she knew, she was the only scout of her kind in Niima. Which meant this dog was worth her sacrifice… it made no sense.

She now drove the track towards the shipwreck and was actually starting to relax. If these four scavengers had been willing to kill her, they would have made attempts by now. She could focus on her surroundings… the desert was never empty, despite appearances!

Her headache was fortunately quite mild at the moment. She only felt the buzz due to the dog on her vehicle, and the truck a few hundred yards behind. Nothing worth her attention.

As the blue shade of the night stretched over the plain, they stopped and raised their camp.

According to Rey, the shipwreck was only a few hours away, but it was safer to take halt for the night. They know too well the dangers of nocturnal expeditions.

The vehicles were carefully checked : engines, oil, gas, tires. Guns were loaded and night guard was established. First round for Foster and Sun, then Rey alone, then Riley and Jared.

They didn't ignite a fire, it would have been too obvious in the darkness. Rey pulled out a bowl and poured water for the dog, who drank loudly. Riley, biting on her protein stick, couldn't take her eyes of him.-

\- Where does that dog come from, Rey? She asked after a while.

Rey shrugged :

\- I found him, lost in the desert, and I kept him, that's all.

\- Are you going to eat him? Sun asked.

Rey smiled, as if the question had been completely silly :

\- No! No, I'll keep it as pet.

\- What's his use, beside eating your rations and water supplies? You could make profits from him, organize fights and gambling… All it would take is some training.

\- No, seriously, I'm not into gambling. I'd rather keep him this way.

Riley frowned :

\- Someone is going to steal him. There's good money to make, what a waste. You'll get in trouble.

Rey stayed silent, looking at Fluffy-Evil-Lord-of-Death as he playfully trudled around, waving his tail. Riley and Sun were right : this dog was going to draw attention on her. It had already started. Her lifelong protector had turned against her and she doubted to ever feel safe again until she arranged the situation.

She sighed :

\- I'm always in trouble. At least now I'm in trouble in good company.

She stood up and stretched her neck :

\- I'm going to sleep. See you in a few hours.

After what, she whistled sharply and pat her lap with her flat hand ; the dog came to her on that call and she rubbed his head.

\- Come on Evil Lord Of Death. Let's go to bed.

Everyone proceeded on getting ready for the night to come. Rey snuggled in her blanket, next to her bike, keeping her staff and machete close. The dog sniffed around, seemed to chase his tail for a moment, then curled next to her.

She listened to the soft voices of Foster and Sun, to the familiar clicking of weapons being handled, as both of them took their positions for the first watch. Steady squeaks and muffled moans came from the truck as Riley and Jared were having sex. Nothing unsusual. Rey gave in to sleep.

A sharp pain drilled her temples and she woke up screaming, holding her skull between both hands. People. People everywhere.

They were under attack!

She jumped wide awake. It must have been close to midnight, as the moon was high in the sky. She saw accurately Sun loading the machine gun on the top of the truck. Foster banged on the side to wake up Riley and Jared. Fluffy Evil Lord Of Death bristled and bared his fangs. Rey climbed to the top of the truck to join Sun and and stared at the desert around them. She pointed a finger towards the approaching men.

_ Over there, in front of the sand dune, she said. There are two of them.

_ I can't see shit, Sun hissed between her clenched teeth, hands stiffed on the gun. Let's ignite the torch lights, we can't fight in the dark.

_ No, Rey said. They don't know I can see them ; they show too much confidence. We can overcome them without taking any risks.

She knew, on pure instinct, where the ennemis stood. They were at least four : two crawling forward, who obviously didn't know they had been caught yet, and two more on the other side, riding a large motorbike. What tribe did they come from? They didn't look like raiders.

The one on the motorbike roared engines and raced toward them. It was a wide bike, with a single wheel on front and two on the back. Sun swung the gun and shot blindly, in a deafening thunder and flashes of light that blinded Rey for a moment. As if it had been the sign everyone was waiting for, suddenly all the guns started firing, in every direction. So much for stealth! Rey, lying on her stomach, could see bullets shooting around her. She was useless up there ;she was much better fighter in close combat. She climbed swiflty down from the truck's roof and stood straight in front of the motorbike, ready to overthrow the pilot from his vehicle. She sensed that the dog was nearby, but she had bigger worries at the moment. The bike raced to her. Rey jumped aside to dodge it, but the pilot sharply steered, in a two wheels drift that almost knocked it over. Caught off guard by this sudden turn, Rey didn't react fast enough to dodge the metallic staff that stroke her. She collapsed on the sand, breathless, her vision blurring. She could hear around her the roar of raging combat ; she heard the screams of Sun, Riley, Jared and Foster among those of their attackers.

She stood up with a wince, looking for the dog. He was in the middle of the battle, and she called "Evil Lord of Death! Attack!"

But the dog ignored her as he happily waved his tail in front of the rider. Rey, still struggling to catch her breath, stood frozen in surprise for the second time in only a few minutes.

The man exclaimed : "BB8! It's BB8!"

And Rey, stunned, only managed to mumble "BB what?" before crumpling to the ground, stricken in the back by an attacker she didn't see.

* * *

Kylo Ren didn't turn around as two tall figures came in the large room of walls made of raw concrete. He was contemplating the lake, and its dark and still waters. Slaves were busy on its shores, such as tiny ants.

\- Tuanul village is no longer a concern, I personally made sure of that, Kylo Ren said in his mask.

A female voice, with a metallic hue due to her helmet, rose behind him :

\- Did you find any Resistant?

Kylo Ren slowly turned around, to face his counterparts. Phasma was wearing an uneven armor, which she had been carefully grooming. Its chrome shades quite stood out in this palace of sand and rust. As for Hux, he was a shriveled yet sleek man, who took great care of his clothes when no one else could afford such luxury. He wore his red hair in a mohawk and nails in his ears. All three governed the First Order, under direct command of the Supreme Leader Snoke. Hux lead strategy, Phasma lead the armies and Kylo Ren led intelligence. Hunt and kill, military strikes and meaningful executions, that was all him. His name and his shadow stretched over the First Order as symbols of his power and his wrath.

\- Our informants didn't lie : Lor San Tekka was operating a well and a Resistance network. The well will be clogged today and the villagers should be on their way to the fortress, if you gave your orders as planned.

\- I did. Phasma answered.

\- And the Resistance Network, did you catch them? Said Hux with a nervous twitch of his shoulders.

Kylo Ren lowered his masked face to him and Hux flinched.

\- The orange dog had been spotted near the village. He must have fallen off a vehicle and I expect him to try to gather with his owner, straight to the Resistance. I offered a fairly high reward to our barons for his head. Whoever sees him should catch it and inform us.

\- And? Any news yet?

\- Not yet. But it's been less than 24 hours. Trust me : an orange dog can not pass unnoticed. We'll hear about him soon.

\- You better. Hux hissed between his teeth. The Resistance gets more allies everyday, and I don't see you containing this plague.

Kylo moved a step forward. He was much taller than Hux. His voice was bitter.

\- Are you questioning my strategy, Hux?

The red hair man flinched and slightly backed out as Kylo Ren leaned over him :

\- All I'm saying is that I need results. These anarchists disturb our operations.

Phasma's metallic voice cut short the argument, and both raised their heads to listen to her :

\- Taxes will be perceived in two weeks time. You both know what that means. If Resistant is planning a coup, it will be then.

They knew what she meant : barons of the whole territory would send their ambassadors driving tank trunks to pay their taxes (whatever their village could produce : food, slaves, raw materials) and bring back water. There would be lots of hustle around the fort, temporary camps would rise, there would be people everywhere, and along with them would come parties, thefts, and fights. It was tradition to proceed to a few public executions, to make a statement and remind them who ruled this country. Snoke wouldn't make an appearance, he never did. Yet Phasma, Hux and Ren should show off. Their main ally was the owner of the petrol fields and the refinery plant. It was a disabled man, whose legs were too weak to support his enormous stomach. He was a flabby mountain of wallowing flesh in his castle, another fortress at fair distance from Starkiller. Convoys of water and gas rode back and forth between both fortresses, and as these were the most valuable resources of this forsaken desert, the track between Starkiller and the palace of Jabba the Hutt, as he was called, was the Resistance favorite target.

Kylo Ren's fists clenched to his sides as the simple thought of Resistance. His reputation and relevance within Starkiller would only stop being questioned when he'd crush this batch of vermins, lead by a woman whose sole name drove him mad : Leia Organa.

Because she was his mother, Hux, Phasma, Snoke, but also every single war trooper in starkiller questioned his loyalty. Because she was his mother, each failure was suspicious. Because she was his mother, he was fallible. And this idea infuriated him.

Phasma had work to do, she was to organize the troops for the tax ceremonies. The upcoming weeks would be exhausting. She gave a polite salute and left the room, closing the door behind her. Hux and Ren were now alone.

As soon as she left the room, Kylo Ren raised his hands to his helmet and took it off. He dropped it on the steel table that stood in the middle of the room and racked his fingers in his hair.

Hux didn't make a move and stood straight, hands behind his back.

Kylo Ren's voice rose, deep and strong as it wasn't modified by the helmet anymore.

\- I hate this season. The crowd. Those pathetic creatures…

\- Now is not the time to fail, Ren, Hux said, raising an eyebrow.

Ren stared at him with furious eyes. The crowd gave him excruciating headaches that denied him sleep and made him even more nervous than usual.

Hux knew that and yet, he kept pushing.

\- I won't fail. Kylo answered, endorsing each word.

Hux came closer :

\- You overestimate yourself, Hux said. You are obviously exhausted.

As he talked, he came even closer. They could almost touch each other and Ren felt his burning breath on his lips as Hux spoke. He was so close that the painful buzz in Ren's skull because unbearable, even though he had managed to ignore it until now.

\- Step back, Kylo Ren mumbled, almost begging.

\- Does it hurt? Hux asked.

Ren didn't grant him with an answer and turned his face away. Hux' finger gently touched his chin to make him look in his eyes. He whispered :

\- Let me help you.

Ren felt Hux' mouth take his, and he closed his eyes. His brain was buzzing louder than ever but the heat rising from his crotch diverted him. Hux' hand layed on his genitals, over his black shirt. Kylo Ren felt himself grow hard and the buzz inside his skull seemed to correspondingly decrease. A tongue slid on his lips and he opened his mouth. Hux had his tongue pierced, a cold and hard bead that toyed inside his mouth and that he wanted to feel on his body. This thought aroused him. He flinched and took a step back to lean on the table behind him. The General's left hand had seized the back of his head, as he deeply kissed him ; his right hand rubbed his penis, up and down, though his clothes. The headache and become a peripheral issue. His hardened penis almost hurt and with a swift move, he grabbed the general's ass and squeezed him. He felt his hardness rub his own and a moan escaped his lips. This sound seemed to arouse Hux, who broke off their kiss and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Without breaking eye contact, he slid both hands on his torso, above the black shirt, and slowly kneeled in front of him. Ren bit his lips in perspective. He bit one finger of his glove and pulled it off with his teeth before dropping it on the floor, before racking his fingers in his lover's red hair. Hux' face was just facing his crotch, and his long fingers were operating Ren's zipper and belt. After a short time that felt like an eternity to Ren, Armitage Hux' hand grabbed his burning cock, as Kylo moaned again. Hux' tongue slid along his shaft in slow up and down strokes, then without warning, he covered it with his mouth. Kylo tilt his head back. It felt amazing. His whole body was completely focused on the feeling of Hux's mouth around his cock, and everything else vanished in a blur. Hux was going up and down on his shaft, sliding the bead of his tongue around the penis head, and Ren clenched his left hand on the table he was holding.

His right hand was gripping the General's hair and moved along with him with jerky movements. Hux resisted his instructions and Ren felt pleasure in that struggle, his wrist against this neck, his cock against this mouth, and he felt a pressure rising from inside his crotch. Deeper, stronger. Suddenly Hux bit and Ren roared as he released his hand completely. His burning cock sprung from the general's lips who gave him a dark gaze. Ren immediately grabbed his hair, with both hands, and sticked his lover's face against his slick, hard cock.

\- Finish the job. Ren said.

\- I don't take orders. Hux hissed between his clenched teeth.

\- Then do it because you fucking want to. Ren creaked, releasing both hands.

\- Fuck you, Hux said, but he took the penis back inside his mouth and resumed the movement.

With both hands, he grabbed Ren's ass through the leather pants, and Ren spread his tights, holding himself the the table. The feeling was divine. The headache had vanished and his body felt so relaxed at this sole feeling that he could have come, yet the burning lips of Hux on his cock were irresistible. He moaned and finally came, bluntly, jerking semen in his lover's mouth. Hux swallowed and stood up as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He seeked Kylo's mouth and kissed him deeply, in a passionate exchange of semen and saliva.

Kylo was relaxed, eyes shut, and negligently zipped up his pants. Hux stopped him by grabbing his penis.

\- We're not done, Hux said.

Kylo tightened his fingers around Hux' wrist until he released his cock and pushed him away.

\- I am. Snoke is expecting me.

Hux tried to protest, but Kylo shoved him away with a shoulder punch, straightened his clothes and picked up his helmet. The General watched him walk away, powerless, and seized his own hard cock through his pants.

\- Fuck you, Ren! He screamed, furious.

Kylo gave him a slight wave of his hand as an answer, without a look back.

Yet he stopped at the door and looked above his shoulder :

\- See you tonight, General.

\- I don't take orders! Hux screamed on principle, but he already knew he'd be there, available for Kylo Ren, that very night.

Once again, Ren had been manipulating him from A to Z.


	4. Chapter 4 - Takodana

Rey woke up to the dog licking her face. She first felt the wetness of his tongue on her cheeks, then the cold rock against her back. Her hands were tied up behind her. An excruciating pain throbbed in her side, almost certainly due to a couple of broken ribs. All these sensations came at her simultaneously and she cried out in pain as she pulled on the ropes binding her wrists.

She heard a voice coming from a distance, echoing against the walls of what seemed to be some kind of cave.

"BB8, stay. That's good. Good dog."

She managed to open her eyes, but everything appeared blurry. She wanted to rub her eyes, her temples, to massage her neck and cradle her ribs, but her hands were tied and she groaned in frustration. Eventually, she was able to focus on the people in front of her: four people, two men and two women. One of the men was tenderly petting Fluffy-Evil-Lord-Of-Death. Rey tried to speak, but her throat was dry and her voice came out as a croak.

"Who talks first? Do I talk first?"

The two men exchanged a look, and the one with the dog spoke.

"What were you doing with BB8? Who sent you? What are you looking for?"

One of the women interrupted. "That's too many questions, Poe." She turned to Rey. "Where were you going?"

Rey blinked. Everything was hurting, not just her head.

"We came from Niima, Unkar Plutt sent us. We are looking for…a shipwreck to scavenge."

The one called Poe turned to the others, and they spoke quietly for a moment. Eventually, the other man with dark skin and gentle eyes who was wearing a leather jacket that was patched all over, broke away from their circle and came back to her.

"Why was BB8 with you? To lure us?"

Rey hesitated. BB8 was the dog? Why would she try to lure these people?

"I…No! I found him near Tuanul. He was hurt. I wasn't trying to lure anyone, I don't even know who you are. Where is everyone else?"

That started a new discussion, before the man with the leather jacket leaned over her again.

"Your team? The big guy is dead; he was shot too many times…sorry. The two girls are bruised, but they'll be ok. The other guy has an ugly wound on his hand; we're going to have to amputate it."

As he said that, a terrible scream reverberated from a deeper part of the caves. Rey flinched and suddenly exploded with rage.

"Our convoy was still empty, we had nothing to steal! Who sent you? Was it Baron Watto?"

The girl, a small woman with a round face and unruly hair stepped forward, waving a stun rod.

"Hey! We're the ones asking the questions here!"

The black man hissed, "Rose!" and Rey frowned. What kind of interrogation was this? Captors who kept contradicting each other? They obviously had no idea how to proceed. Rey relaxed and giggled nervously. Of all the bloodthirsty brutes hiding in the desert, she had been defeated and captured by the most inept raiders ever...It would have been truly funny if Jared hadn't been killed, and Foster lost his hand.

The one called Poe resumed with more questions.

"Why did you go to Tuanul? Are you a spy for Unkar Plutt?"

"What? No!" Rey burst out, outraged. "I visited Lor San Tekka to… errr…"

Her voice died in her throat. She couldn't mention the water she had procured. If these people were First Order spies, Lor San Tekka would be in danger.

She stuttered out a reply. "To… replenish my supplies. That's when I found Fluff… BB8. He was wounded and I took care of him."

Rose pointed the stun rod at her.

"That's a lie. She was sent to hunt down BB8. She took advantage of Lor San Tekka's generosity, turned him in afterwards, and then she went riding through the desert with the dog in order to lure us into trying something, and that's exactly what we did. There must be like 30 squadrons following our tracks as we speak!"

Her theory must have sounded plausible to the group, who stayed silent as they stared at Rey, waiting for her to answer.

Rey pulled on her ropes.

"No! I am a friend of Lor San Tekka's! I…I'm on his side! Ask him! Send a messenger to him, he'll confirm my identity!"

The silence that followed her sentence scared her. The other woman looked grave as she said, "Lor San Tekka is dead."

The news hit Rey harder than a hammer. She couldn't catch her breath. Her voice failed as she mumbled, "What? But I was with him the day before yesterday!"

Burning tears wet her eyes and she dropped back against the rock, feeling suddenly exhausted. The girl continued.

"Someone turned him in over a well. The First Order reduced the village to gravel, took the villagers as slaves and executed him…as an example." She added, with a very soft voice, "I'm sorry."

Rey shut her eyes. Her bound hands prevented her from wiping away the tears that ran down her face and she left them flow, defeated.

The small group mumbled for quite a while. They spoke with muffled voices and any normal prisoner would not have heard them, but Rey's ears were as sharp as her eyes. Paige (the quieter woman) and Finn (the young black man) believed her. Rose (the woman with the stun rod) was rather aggressive and feared a trap. Poe (who owned the orange dog) hadn't yet made up his mind. As for the dog, he came back to Rey and rubbed his nose against her neck, begging for attention.

This sign of affection was enough for Finn, who broke from their circle.

"Enough. She's no spy."

He came closer to Rey and squatted down in front of her. She opened her eyes to see a knife in his hand, but he did not look like a killer, so she didn't worry. He spoke with a very soft, very soothing voice.

"I am Finn. This is Poe, Rose and Paige. You already know BB8. We won't hurt you. I am going to untie you if you promise not to do anything stupid."

Rey nodded.

Finn slipped his hands behind her and promptly cut her binds. Rey rolled her shoulders and rubbed her bruised wrists. She lifted a reproachful look to the small assembly.

"I'm Rey. Who are you exactly? You don't look like raiders."

"We are from the Resistance," Finn said.

"The Resistance?!" Rey whisper-yelled "So it was _you_ that Lor San Tekka was hiding?!"

"Yes," Poe confirmed. "He has been supplying us with water for years. But someone turned him in and the First Order attacked. BB8 had been hit, she was limping, I was outnumbered and..." His voice cracked as he petted the dog in a comforting gesture. "I had to leave her. Forgive me, old friend."

Of all questions Rey could have asked, the most obvious was the one she went with.

"She?"

Poe smiled. "Yes, BB8's a girl."

"But what's so special about her? I mean she's cute, but that doesn't explain why The First Order is turning the region into a bloodbath to find her."

Poe's smile brightened.

"She's _my_ dog. They know that if she's around, the Resistance is sure to be, too. And wherever the Resistance is, they know they'll find-"

"Leia Organa."

Rey raised her eyes to see who had said that name out loud. Finn, Poe, Paige, and Rose moved aside to make way for a tiny woman, whose face was rather yellowish and wrinkled. She wore a scarf on her head and had a huge magnifying glass in front of each eye, which gave her a rather silly look, but feeling the sudden solemnity of the situation, Rey didn't feel like laughing. The small woman held out her hand to Rey to help her get up.

"Welcome, Rey. I am Maz Kanata."

Rey frowned :

"Maz Kanata? You're a Baroness of the First Order. You rule Takodana village."

"That's true. But it's a long story."

Rey looked at her surroundings.

"So is that where we are? Takodana?"

That idea scared her; Takodana was hours away from Niima, and nowhere near the route to the wreckage. How long had she been out? If Unkar Plutt sent a team to find her, he wouldn't be looking around Takodana…And speaking of Unkar Plutt…Rey pulled her hand away from Maz's.

"Where's my crew? They don't know anything. You need to release them."

"Their fate has not been decided yet," Paige said.

"I want to see them," Rey said.

They led her into a maze of corridors excavated into the rock. This was obviously an underground settlement, completely invisible from the outside. Takodana village was nothing special; to Rey's knowledge, it was just a fortified village like any other, with fences protecting a bunch of ratty trailers and huts made of plastic and metal sheets...a slum. Baroness Kanata was not one to rock the boat. She appeared to be a textbook subordinate that bred goats and paid her taxes with meat, cattle, leather, and milk. This second city under the mountain was quite a secret, and Rey understood there would be no going back for her. The Resistance had sealed her fate now, whether she liked it or not.

She bit her lip as she followed Maz through the tunnels. She would have liked to have had a choice about this, but she also understood that her destiny had been decided from the moment she had sheltered BB8. Her only option now was to move forward. It might not be too late for Sun, Riley, and Foster. She felt responsible for Jared's death, and hoped to be able to avoid the worst for her surviving crew.

They had been locked up and questioned, one after the other. Rey soon found out that the Resistance hadn't been able to get any valuable information from them. They had only confirmed that Rey had been leading their expedition to scavenge a shipwreck, and nothing more. They clearly weren't spying for Unkar Plutt or the First Order, so they were of no concern to the Resistance. And as the Resistance members had quickly discovered, the truck was empty, too. Their group had little value. What would happen to them now?

Riley was holding Jared who had died in her arms. She was quiet, but her eyes were fierce. Sun was okay, and Foster as okay as one could be with a missing limb. Someone suggested dropping them off out in the desert, but Rey objected. It would be a death sentence, on foot in the desert, far away from any village with no means of navigating.

After further discussion, it was proposed that the Resistance would blindfold them and Poe, accompanied by Rose, would take them to Mos Eisley, Baron Watto's village. From there, they'd have to find their own way back to Niima. Since Mos Eisley was quite a distance from Takodana, the plan was approved.

Rey watched the small convoy taking the prisoners away. Her old companions, her former life was disappearing over the horizon. There would soon be a bounty on her head now, for treason, rebellion, and evasion. She would be as hunted as Finn, Poe, and all the others; her quiet days were over. But had her life ever been all that quiet anyway?

She gave a last glance at the empty skyline across the desert and suddenly felt hungry, sour, and a painful sensitivity to the buzz of life all around her. The headache - which she had been too distracted to notice in all the activity of the last hour - hit her hard, and she groaned.

A hand landed softly on her shoulder.

Rey turned her head to look at Maz, who came closer.

The apocalypse had killed off most humans, and the survivors all suffered from a variety of malformations. Rey lived with that permanent ache in her brain; Maz seemed to have stopped growing as of about twelve. How old was she now? Her eyes were old and sad.

"Are you hungry?"

Rey nodded. She was thirsty, too. Maz took her to a large room inside the mountain. On their way through the tunnels, Rey saw many people, all of them busy with their mysterious tasks. It was just like a regular city, only buried under rock. She sensed water and stopped. This tunnel was like any other, but Rey's senses didn't lie. There was a pipe carrying water that ran through the rock above her head.

Maz was staring at her but didn't speak. Rey turned to the small woman.

"There's an… aqueduct through the mountain? You gather condensation? That's smart."

"That's right," Maz said approvingly. Her eyes slitted thoughtfully as she asked, "How did you know?"

"Oh, I can't explain it. I can sense it, that's all."

Rey shrugged, feeling uneasy. It was always touchy discussing this with someone she didn't know.

Maz nodded, deep in her own thoughts. Then she pushed through a door into a room where Rey could see a table and benches made of scavenged materials. There was an oil lamp on the table and Maz lit it. The room brightened and Maz waved for Rey to come in.

"I was going to take you to the dining hall but I think the crowd might be too much for you, am I right?"

Rey nodded, surprised.

"How did you know?"

Maz invited her to sit down, then walked to the door and called a couple of short orders down the tunnel. Then she came back and sat next to Rey.

"I'm familiar with your ability. The headache. It's a burden, isn't it?"

Rey nodded again. Maz continued.

"It's also a very powerful gift that could be a valuable asset for someone who knows how to properly use it. Who uses you?"

"Unkar Plutt," Rey said matter-of-factly. "I'm his scout. I'm good at sensing enemies before we can see them and-"

"You can see at night," concluded Maz. "You are sensitive to the living, Rey. It's a gift as much of a burden. Unkar is going to send hunters after you when he figures out that you're not coming back."

Rey grimaced.

"Unkar lost every right over me when he sent his henchmen to kill me. It doesn't matter if he wants to hunt me down now. There's nothing left for me in Niima."

Maz took her hand.

"You are very brave. And very lonely. Your gift has kept you away from other people, but it doesn't have to be that way."

Rey had many questions, but the door flew open. A woman came in and laid the tray she was carrying on the table; loaves made from black flour, goat cheese, a jug of milk, and a container of rustic-looking seeds that at first sight didn't look edible to Rey. Maz showed her how to dampen them with milk to turn them into a hearty gruel. It tasted much better than rations and Rey felt like crying at the feeling of proper food in her mouth and filling her stomach. The woman was still in the room, and Maz had been patiently waiting for Rey to catch her breath to introduce her.

"This is Bazine Netal, my lieutenant. She rules the underground city when I'm on the surface. You can rely on her when I am away or if you need anything. She'll show you where to sleep, for starters."

Rey angled her head to greet the woman. Her mouth was too full to speak.

Bazine was a tall, slender woman who wore a black hood and dark grease smeared on her eyelids, like the desert pilots used to wear. Metallic claws were sewn to her gloves, and Rey sensed she must be a fearsome fighter.

Something about her made Rey slightly uncomfortable, unlike Maz Kanata or the little gang of four, with whom she had immediately felt safe, even though they had captured and interrogated her. Yet Rey was aware that this hostile desert made people cautious, and it was only natural for Bazine to keep her distance from her. The Resistance was under threat at all times; caution was essential.

Bazine spoke.

"You may not wander around freely, for now; you will need to stay within this area. There's a dormitory further down this tunnel. If access is denied to you in a tunnel, better turn around and not argue. I gave specific orders to shoot you for any suspicious behavior. Stay where people let you go, and you'll be fine."

Rey gulped.

"Okay. What about… toilets?

"Use the buckets. We'll show you which ones."

"Feces are recycled into fertilizer," Maz explained calmly.

Rey nodded but couldn't hide her wince. Unkar Plutt had never thought about such things. He'd rather lick the boots of the First Order to get rations, but that clearly wasn't an option for the Resistance.

Bazine left the room and Rey turned to the small wrinkled woman.

"You said my headaches don't have to be such a burden. Do you know how to cure them?"

"I know someone who could. But you must be careful, Rey. His help comes at a high price."

Maz's expression was suddenly sad, but Rey insisted. The idea of being freed from her headaches made her dizzy.

"Who is he? Where do I find him? What is his price?"

Maz patted her hand with a sad smile.

"It's too soon for this. You'll be safe in our caves. Many of them are well away from crowds…and pipes. You'll be able to rest there."

Maz stood up, signalling an end to their conversation. But she either had said too much, or not enough. Rey tried to hold her back.

"No, wait! Tell me who it is!"

Maz shook her head painfully, then gave the girl a warm smile.

"Enough for today. Finn will take care of your wounds. I need to get back to the village."

As Rey opened her mouth to object, Maz left the room and the dark skinned man came in. He gave her a shy smile and sat at the table across from her. Then he held his hand out to her over the table, and Rey shook it cautiously.

"I'm Finn."

"I know," Rey smiled. "You told me before."

"May I call you Rey?" She nodded. "I'll show you around later. And, err..."

He twisted his hands, maybe out of shyness, before speaking again.

"Thank you for having taken care of BB8. Poe is crazy about her, he was miserable these last few days."

Rey smiled. The dog was a safe topic of conversation, and she was rather fond of her, too.

"No problem. She's adorable. But what kind of name is BB8?"

"Oh, it's a funny story," Finn answered with a slight blush. "Poe wanted to call her something fearsome, to terrify his enemies in battle, you know? So he called her Brutal-Beast-Hate. Except she turned out to be adorable, and became BB-Eight, BB8."

Rey laughed.

"Ha! That's perfect! I actually did the same thing. I called her Evil-Lord-Of-Death. It felt like…like putting armor on a kitten. Not really scary. She actually is quite a good fighter, though. I saw her tear up a man's calf the other day. She saved both our lives."

"Yeah, she's awesome," Finn said. "Poe trained her to carry grenades and dynamite into enemy territory. She's our secret weapon."

Rey's smile faded. Grenades and dynamite…that explained why the dog's sides were burned and hairless. She had been caught too close to some of the explosions. She was lucky to be alive and mostly intact.

Finn opened his pouch and laid bandages on the table.

"Here, let me take care of your ribs. It's going to hurt for a while, but there's not much we can do about these kinds of injuries. They'll fix themselves in time."

"Thank you," Rey said, turning to one side to let him get close to her.

The headache and the broken ribs didn't matter anymore. For the first time in her life, someone was actually taking care of her, and for the first time in her life, she felt at peace, even though she had only known these people for a few hours. She felt like she had finally found home.


End file.
